TACOMA, Wash. — A 17-year-old has been sentenced for shooting and injuring another teen outside a Tacoma high school this past summer.
On June 18, a 16-year-old was shot outside Lincoln High School as school was letting out for summer break.
The victim had non-life-threatening injuries and was able to make it to a local business to call 911.
Then-16-year-old Dar’Shawn Williams-Thomas was arrested in connection with the shooting.
In December, Dar’Shawn pleaded guilty to first-degree assault.
He was sentenced to 72 months, or six years, in prison. He gets 186 day-credit for time served.
Before the shooting, he did not have a criminal record.
“Your Honor, I understand the seriousness of the charges before you, and I do not write this letter to minimize the gravity of Dar’Shawn’s actions. However, I firmly believe that at 17-years old, Dar’Shawn deserves an opportunity to learn from this mistake and redirect his life toward the positive trajectory he was on before the incident. A lengthy prison sentence at this critical juncture could derail all the promise and potential that this young man possesses,” one basketball coach wrote in a letter of support to the judge.
The typical sentence for this crime for an adult is up to 10 years, according to court documents.
The teen will also need to take anger management classes.
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